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2015 (12) TMI 1299 - AT - CustomsDuty demand - Import has obtained the DFIA license by fraud - Transfer of licenses DFIA - Misdeclaration - Transferee Appellants purchased part of such transferable DFIA Licenses from the market after paying due considerations and after verifying these licenses from the website of DGFT - Held that:- A script obtained from the Licensing authority fraudulently cannot give licence to any transferee to avail any Customs duty exemption. Fraud in common parlance means dishonest dealing, deceit or cheating etc. It makes no difference whether fraud is committed by outrightly forging of documents or by willful misdeclaration/misrepresentation. A fraud is a fraud and there are no categories of mild frauds and severe frauds in taxation matters. - Section 28 AAA of the Customs Act, 1962 has been made effective from 28/5/2012 and cannot be made applicable to the present proceedings for the periods prior to 28/5/2012. This provision has been made to give the department a tool also to recover Customs duty even from a person other than the importer of the goods. It is also observed that proviso to Section 28AAA(1) does not absolve the actual importer from payment of duty. Further Hon ble Apex Court in the case of Tata Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. Vs. C.C. Mumbai (2015 (8) TMI 290 - SUPREME COURT) has held that extended period is available to the Revenue for demanding duty from the transferres also.State cannot be deprived of its share of duty if the same is claimed exemption by fraudulent acts of the exporters in the present proceedings. Duty demands and interest have been correctly confirmed by the Adjudicating authority against all the appellants. However, we are of the considered opinion that penalties are not imposable upon the transferee appellants as they have no knowledge of the nature of goods used and exported by the manufacturers/exporters. Accordingly, penalties imposed upon the transferee appellants are set aside. - Decided partly in favour of assessee.
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